Corporate Social Responsibility in the tour operating sector: institutional arrangements and the shaping of agendas.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this research is to explore how institutional arrangements for socially sustainable tourism influence the shaping of CSR agendas in the tour operating sector. Theory: Neo-institutional theory of organizational change / the Scandinavian branch. Empirical material: The study was carried out as a qualitative in-depth case study, informed by the Swedish tour operating firm Apollo. Interviews and content analysis of policy documents were the main methods employed. The firm was at the center of the analysis and the issue of analysis was how regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive pressure mechanisms impact the shaping of their CSR approach. Conclusions: Apollo’s increasing engagement with actors in their institutional surroundings make them experience pressure from various stakeholders on matters of CSR. All three kinds of institutional forces have had clear impacts on their CSR agenda, but the predominant force is normative pressure from customers and stakeholders in the local area. Internal learning-processes have been set in motion by institutional alternations which make Apollo employing a proactive CSR approach. They hence contribute to shaping norms on sustainability within the industry.